Blog - What's New at Dick Simon Yachts?

Retooled and refreshed, Sea Ray's 450 Sedan Bridge is now better than ever. Given the choice, would you rather enhance your appearance or your physical performance? If you answered "both," you're on the same page as the Sea Ray engineering team. When tasked with updating its popular 450 Sedan Bridge to accept pod drives, the Sea Ray team responded with much more than a propulsion retrofit and instead instigated a full makeover of the boat's running surfaces and topside lines. They introduced the next-generation 450 in January and showed it to the public at the New York and Miami boat shows.

The addition of a deckhouse to the beautiful hand-crafted Spirit range is a smart move, adding welcome volume to these ‘classic’ designs. Toby Hodges tests two of the new DH range, which bridge modern and traditional What defines a classic? “There are more and more ‘new’ classics coming out,” designer and MD of Spirit Yachts Sean McMillan concedes. “But what makes Elena a classic, yet Shamrock a Spirit of Tradition? Thankfully, attitudes are changing and Spirits are being accepted for the beautiful creations they are.” McMillan can take much of the credit for altering preconceptions on that score by bridging the divide between modern and traditional with his custom-designed Spirit yachts. His new Deckhouse range offers more of the space now demanded by clients, but still retains the sweet overhangs.

Here's the situation: you're the owners of a company that built a sailboat picked by Fortune magazine as the best in America. You've sold the company and, because of a non-compete clause, you can't build sailboats, but you've always liked fishing. What do you do? If you're partners Henry Mohrschladt and Mike Howarth, you decide to build the best sportfishing boat in the world. You look at what's available, bring in top saltwater fishermen as consultants, pull together a skilled crew of builders, and create the Cabo 35, a boat some companies might want to study as a model for how a boat ought to be built.

A few months ago Marquis Yachts introduced a sport bridge version of its well received Marquis 500. We took a scenic cruise onboard the yacht this winter and found out it is possible to combine looks and the conveniences of a fly bridge On a 50-footer. The Marquis 500 Sport Coupe made its debut at the Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach in 2008. The European-styled yacht features streamlined lines with curves just where you'd want them to be, wide expanses of glass, a stylish interior and a sun roof, one of several similarities with a stylish roadster.

Marquis Yachts' 500 Sport Bridge takes excitement to a whole new level... Just when you thought Marquis' 50 couldn't get any sexier, along comes the 500 Sport Bridge-a sleek, high-performance flybridge yacht-based on last year's 500 Sport Coupe (see Southern Boating July 2008). Building on the success of its stylish 50-foot coupe, Marquis takes the cruiser to new heights with a design that satisfies the boat owner who enjoys operating and entertaining in the elements.

Written by Roger Kamholz | Photography courtesy of Peter Walton Far-flung New Zealanders aboard a Meridian 459 complete a Northern Hemisphere classic: America’s Great Loop. This photo essay tells the story. The Great Loop, perhaps the most storied American boating journey, takes passengers on a far-reaching tour of lakes and waterways as they circle the eastern U.S., skirt the Gulf of Mexico and graze southern Canada. For the past year, those waters were a second home to Peter and Lyn Walton of Auckland, New Zealand. The couple completed the Loop—with stops in the Bahamas for relaxation—aboard their brand new 459, purchased from MarineMax Cape Haze, in Florida. After their unforgettable trip, the Waltons recently shipped the yacht to Auckland, where they continue to explore new and familiar waters alike.

The Marquis 500 Sport Bridge melds the best of European design and American craftsmanship... The boat's sweeping curves, low radar arch and even the forward-bent stainless-steel stanchions of the bow rail were clearly European design traits, but it was the yacht's overall visual appeal that left little doubt in my mind of its origin. There was the slight break in the sheer line near the bridge, the angled cabin sides, the reverse transom and even the unusual engine vents. Looking at the new Marquis 500 Sport Bridge, my eyes never seemed to rest in one place. It seemed a stunning example of Italian yacht art. Yet this Marquis 500 Sport Bridge was built in Pulaski, Wisconsin.

One of the sweetest, most luxurious express cruisers on the market today... The queen of the Sea Ray’s Sundancer line is its sleek and sporty 48-footer with a trademark drop bow and long, sweeping reverse sheer. This is a yacht that will appeal to many, though perhaps mostly to successful Baby Boomers—people who have worked hard, made some money and now want to enjoy the fruits of their labors with a showy, comfortable high-end yacht they can share with friends and family. The 48 Sundancer is also a great party boat, with a huge cockpit/helm area and a single-level interior that is well suited to entertaining. The cozy, plush and spacious interior and heated, covered helm area with standard canvas back indicate that this is more than a Florida fun-in-the-sun yacht. Founded in 1959, Knoxville, Tennessee-based Sea Ray is part of the Brunswick Corporation, which also owns Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Hatteras, Maxum, Meridian and many other lines of popular recreational craft.

Red Jacket, blue blood... If you’re like me, you’re wearing shredded deck shoes and a boat show T-shirt and think you’re all that— and a bag of chips. Well, that’s only if your boat looks good. Stand at the helm of Sea Ray’s new 55 Sundancer, and no one will question your attire. Beneath its arctic white gel coat and vinylester resin, the 55 Sundancer is built and equipped to make even serious wrench-heads smile. Of course, a couple of things earned a frown. The mast light should be hinged, which would let it fold down and decrease bridge clearance by nearly a foot.

Since retiring from the excavation business, hardworking, responsible Charlie Pence of Avon, Indiana has set out to “live the dream” on his third Jefferson Yacht, a 60’ Marquessa. Currently planning his second winter on board Destination Unknown, Pence now embraces a more nomadic lifestyle. Cruising at an unhurried pace, the 67-year-old wanderer foresees another wonderful winter spent cruising from Green Turtle Bay on Barkley Lake in Kentucky to Florida’s Key West and back. “I have always had the dream to get on a boat and travel from marina to marina and stay where I wanted for a day or for a month,” said Pence. “This will be the first year I haven’t had to hurry back.

MY old delivery partner had a passion for sportfishing boats. Whenever the chance came along to deliver one, he'd jump at it, usually by offering the owner a deal he couldn't refuse. We moved a lot of battlewagons over the years deep-V designs with wave-slicing entries and relatively narrow beams. Many of them rode bow-high with lousy forward visibility and, in any kind of sea, would pound our knees into our teeth. But that's the nature of the beast. All boats are trade-offs weight for range, low profile for interior acreage and sportfishermen are built to run out to the fishing grounds fast, with comfort and livability coming in a distant second.

I'd hoped for one big marlin, but five in three days? Boat testing can be a subjective game, simply because we testers don't have complete control over the test conditions. Whether it's caused by time constraints, weather conditions, or location, sometimes we have to draw on our own experiences, knowledge of hull design and gut instinct, to give readers an educated and informed report about a new boat. 

FRESH OUT OF THE BOX. Like many of you, I prefer a galley-down floor plan, such as the one on Sea Ray's 36 Sedan Bridge. Why? It clearly separates the dining, socializing, and food preparation areas. It creates privacy while retaining that together feeling. In a larger boat, galley-up may be the better choice, but in boats less than 45' long I believe having the galley down makes for a more dynamic and energetic social environment. And why else do you buy a bridge boat if not to better accommodate a crowd?

How do you build a cat with ocean-going potential for the price of a monohull of the same length? Duncan Kent sails the popular Gemini 105, which defies economic logic and continues to satisfy the demands of bluewater cruising families the world over. The Gemini 105 was designed by the well known racing skipper, Tony Smith, who started building multihulls way back in 1965. Later in his career, after launching his successful Telstar, he moved from the UK to the USA in 1980, launched Performance Cruising, and added the Gemini to his portfolio. Since then the design has incorporated numerous updates and modifications and recently evolved into the 105Mc. 

Cruising goes high style on Meridian's new 391 Sedan... Launching a new family -or couples- oriented sedan at a time when the market is rife with attractive cruising- capable designs from both sides of the Atlantic is a project not to be taken lightly. To succeed, the builders must ensure that the owners of this new yacht design must immediately feel comfortable in their new surroundings, at home with the spaces where they plan to spend time relaxing and reading, dining, listening and watching and enjoying the great outdoors. And this comfort must continue once the power cords have been disconnected and the docklines have been cast off. No one knows this better than the designers of Meridian Yachts, whose new 391 Sedan Bridge debuted late last year following careful collaboration with its customers and dealers. Based on my recent experiences with this and other Meridian yachts, the 391 may be its most livable, cruisable sedan to date.

A fireplace and whirlpool tub are just a few of the surprises on board. Your first walk through the Hampton 680 Pilothouse is like the first taste of a great wedding cake: The frosting catches your eye, but you quickly discover that the really good stuff is hidden underneath.

100 percent pure Florida juice... How do you make a go-fast seem wider than it - and its competitors - really is? You give it a wider chine beam the way Donzi did with its 43ZR. Its 8'9" overall beam sounds typical, but the boat's beam from chine to chine is a full 8', about 8" to 10" wider than many boats in its class. That gives it more cockpit space for passengers and gear.

Tired of walkarounds with limited accommodations? On most fishboats less than 26' with walkarounds, the cabins seem like an afterthought. But that's not the case with Century's new 2400 Walkaround. Its upscale decor should make your family feel more at home.

When you have bigger fish to fry. Going to the bow on many convertibles means stubbing your toe on rail stanchions, tripping over cleats, and worst of all, clinging to the side of the cabin while hoping you don't end up in the drink. No such worries with the new Jannace 430C Sportfish. When I went up the side decks, I discovered well-placed grabrails, a 2’-wide walkway, and a 3" toe kick that kept my tootsies inboard. Plus, elevated cleats and stanchions are where they can do no damage - every sportfish should have sidedecks like these.

Fishing off America's southernmost tip in a family's brand-new CAVILEER 44 "THE FlSHlNG'S BEEN AWESOME," ANNOUNCES Jack Thomas as he greets me from the cockpit of his new Caviler 44 at Conch Harbor Marina in Key West. “Tyson got 1,000 pounds of kingfish yesterday.”